NE India urged to focus on organic farming

In an interactive session titled “Towards formulating the action agenda for the betterment of the North Eastern Food Processing Sector “hosted by Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal said today that Northeast region should focus on producing organic farming.

She said, “Organic production has a very huge national and international market today and only North-eastern region has the potential to meet this demand through organised production. I am happy to inform you that Food Processing Industries in the North East is part of PM Modi’s ‘Make in India’ mission.”

Badal was on her maiden visit to the region. Calling on the entrepreneurship to make maximum use of national mission on Food Processing, Badal said, “Mega Food Park is conceptualized to have all common infrastructures of a food processing industry under a hub like the North East Mega Food Park in Tihu and our government plans to set up Food Park in all the districts in next five years.”

Raising concern on the food waste in India, the minister emphasized on scientific and proper use of the infrastructures like Mega Food Park and help the farmers and growers in a right way.

She said, “Farmers are the future of food processing industry and our ministry will ensure food grown and produced reaches the consumers without wastage that is what I call ‘Khet to Thali’ and we are committed to it.”

Badal too met the State Mission Directors of the North Eastern Region on the progress of the projects under NMPI. J P Meena Additional Secretary MoFPI addressed and made a detailed presentation on NMPI schemes for North East.